"There's no such thing as writer's block. That was invented by people in California who couldn't write." Terry Pratchett

A Self-Publishing Experiment

I’ve been shopping a manuscript around to agents for about a year. I’ve gotten a couple of bites but haven’t been able to reel in that fish just yet. This, I know, is perfectly normal. The problem is, though, that I spend my days writing about digital publishing and often find myself arguing against the traditional route.

Here I was sitting on the modern equivalent of a manuscript in the bottom drawer of my desk, and it seemed that every week there was a new blog post shoving me toward digital self-publishing. But I’ll admit, part of me wanted the validation of an agent saying, “Yes, I want to represent your work of genius” and end up with the help and guidance of an editor. I wanted my work to be the best it could be, and to walk into a store and see it sitting on the shelf — or better yet, flying off of it.

The transition to self-employment was also an easier one now that Crouch is self-publishing. “The way that publishers treat writers is sort of funny, because it’s not really a system that supports self-employment,” says Crouch. “You get paid twice a year, for the most part you have no idea how your books are selling until you get a royalty statement – which is like trying to decode some lost, ancient scroll. With Amazon and all of these other platforms, I get paid every month. I have a constant, real-time update of what my sales are.”

I’m not looking to be self-employed, but who in their right mind wouldn’t want to make more money rather than less off of something they poured years of work into? (And, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that I’m buying a house. I could use the extra cash.)

So yesterday I decided to undertake an experiment in self-publishing and marketing. Can I make a go of it with my silly, funny little mystery? We shall see, and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.